Wes Pruden's Idiocy

Hysterical over President Obama's bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito, Pruden's Washington Times column included the following: "It's no fault of the president that he has no natural instinct or blood impulse for what the American of 'the 57 states' is about. He was sired by a Kenyan father, born to a mother attracted to men of the Third World and reared by grandparents in Hawaii, a paradise far from the American mainstream."

Post-racial my ass.

And what "blood impulse" did Nixon have when he bowed to Hirohito, or Eisenhower when he bowed to De Gaulle?

Dean Finalists At Seattle University's School Of Law: All People Of Color

The Faculty Lounge reports this development.

The Recession, Race, And Common Experiences

See Shaila Dewan's New York Times article on the way that the recession has eased racial tensions and differences in Henry County, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

L.A. Clippers' Owner Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit

Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team, has paid $2.73 million to settle a housing discrimination suit, according to the Justice Department. Dave Zirin notes the silence from NBA commissioner David Stern and others outraged over Rush Limbaugh's attempt to become a part owner of the NFL's St. Louis Rams.

Removing A Black Couple From A Movie Poster

From the Huffington Post: "Universal changed 'Couples Retreat' marketing material for the film's UK release, and removed the black actors from both the poster's photo and the list of stars typed out."

From The Root

"Is the USDA Still the Last Plantation?", "The Supreme Court Doesn't Care About Native American People," and "Does Hollywood Still Have a Brown Paper Bag Test?"

Check Out Sammy Sosa

This picture was taken at the Latin Grammys. Whoa.

The Steelers' Hines Ward Helps Biracial Youth

Interesting story on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward (born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and black American soldier father) and his efforts to address the plight of biracial children in South Korea.

GOP Chair Michael Steele: White Republicans Are "Scared Of Me"

That's what Steele said: "I've been in the room and they've been scared of me. I'm like, 'I'm on your side.'"

Cynthia Tucker On The Fort Hood Tragedy

Tucker notes that the fact that the suspected shooter is reportedly a Muslim "will certainly permeate reporting and commentary and influence broader perceptions of the mass murder at Ft. Hood." "Let's not get carried away by that news," she continues. "There are many devout Muslims in the U.S. Armed Forces who have served their country bravely, some offering the highest sacrifice--giving their lives in battle."

"Black students told to act like slaves"

Here's the story. Told to act like slaves, wear bags while mimicking picking cotton. Parents and teachers are protesting.

Frank Rich On Limbaugh, Buchanan, Palin, Etc.

Check out this recent interesting and insightful column by Rich.

Shoshana Johnson: You Go Girl

Watch this from the "you don't always know who you're talking to" file.

Cursing The Washington Redskins

Alec Dubro placed a curse on the NFL team six years ago because of the franchise's use of "the plainly racist word" "Redskins".

The Recession's Impact On African Americans

Acccording to the Chicago Tribune, the recession has wiped out a generation of wealth.

Fort Hood And Anti-Muslim Hysteria

Wajahat Ali asks "What's Your Reaction?"

Overheard

Saturday afternoon I was driving home from Parker Music after unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a lower price for a keyboard . . . OK, TMI. I came upon ESPN Radio's broadcast of the Ole Miss-Auburn game. (By the way, as Corey Dade notes, "Ole Miss" is "an honorific that slaves reserved for the mistress of the plantation." But I digress.) I heard analyst Dennis Franchione say that a team's fumble didn't help. Of course it didn't: IT'S A FUMBLE! And when a quarterback made a surprise pooch kick punt, he said that the quarterback must have been a punter "in a future life." Now, I get the past life reference, something learned then somehow helps now. But "future life"? What does that mean? How does that work? And why am I writing about this?

"I Don't Think Of You As Black, Disabled, . . ."

Wheelchair Dancer recently wrote about "what people mean when they say, "I don't think of you as black/disabled. . . . You're just . . . ., my friend.'" Read this interesting piece.

On Not Saying "Third World"

The Mongoose Chronicles on why the term "Third World" is detestable.

Question Time For NFL Commissioner Goodell

Representative Steve King of Iowa questions the commish about Rush Limbaigh and more.

Do Cigarette Companies Target African Americans?

Yes, says LaTanisha Wright, a former executive with Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. According to Wright, Big Tobacco "targeted black communities and youth. They post many more billboards and signs in black communities than in white communities."

Developments In The Environmental Justice Movement

Environmental justice proponents recently met with an EPA official to discuss issues arising from living and working in toxic communities. Will the Obama administration move on these issues?

John Lewis And The Man Who Attacked Him In 1961

Representative John Lewis and Elwin Wilson, the man who attacked Lewis during a 1961 civil rights protest, jointly accepted the Common Ground award at Canada's embassy in Washington, D.C. Watch this story.

56%

According to Gallup, fifty six percent of Americans now "believe that a solution to America's race-relations problem will eventually be worked out--a figure that is roughly the same as those Gallup found in the years prior to last fall's historic election of Barack Obama as president." Interestingly, in 1963 the same percentage of Americans shared that view. "In short," Gallup says, "despite all that has happened in the intervening decades, there is scarcely more hope now than there was those many years ago that the nation's race-relations situation will be solved."

And the number of African Americans optimistic about a solution has fallen since last summer, from 50% to 42%.

"What Birthers Want"

Check out this Rolling Stone interview with Orly Taitz, the lawyer/oral surgeon/real estate agent who has filed several lawsuits challenging President Obama's election. In the interview Taitz explains that she is not a racist: "I would not be filing any legal action against any African-American candidate who is legitimate for the position, who is not defrauding the nation. Moreover, in one of my lawsuits against Obama, the leading plaintiff is Alan Keyes. His skin color is much darker than Obama's."